film film film

last night i was going through some of my scanned film from the summer and an old old roll. i love it. film is the best. #shootfilmstaybroke << becoming my life reality.

+ i'm debating on buying a nikon fm2. we'll see.

D | 2016 Senior Portrait Session

When my family visited back in October, I shot my brother's senior portraits. I can't believe he's a senior already!

Film Friday

A couple weeks ago I sent off four 35mm rolls to Indie Film Lab for developing. Two of them I couldn't remember what was on them, which makes it more fun. One of the rolls was from at least five or six years ago.

For school I've been shooting a lot of Ilford HP5 which is black and white film and recently I've been attempting to do more color. Most of this is fujifilm superia 400 which is a cheaper film. I love the colors in film and the richness and depth in each picture.

I have a few more photos from these rolls I'll be sharing soon.

Grace M | Sunrise Portrait Session

Last weekend, my friend Grace and I left in the dark to catch the sunrise light for her portraits. She was in town to play for Jackson's Celtic Fest and had asked me a couple weeks ago if I could take some portraits of her for her upcoming CD.

She is an excellent fiddler and an awesome graphic designer (check out her work!). We had a fun time catching up and trying to work through the wind at the Res. :)

I loved shooting this session!

Enjoy.

afternoon polka dots

I've always enjoyed photographing this one..Although, she doesn't always love being in front of the camera.

The other day I asked her if I could snap a few of her. She even got a few of me.. :)
 

  

14/52

We're already into week 14 of this year. Time is flying.This is my photo for this week - number 14 of 52 images for this year.

I hope you all have a great Easter weekend!

"And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back - it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."" // Mark 16:4-7

Sunlight Printing

I got this sunlight print kit years ago (like 6-8 years ago) from my mom on my birthday. The other day I finally decided to pull it out and start using it. The process was easier than I thought it would be.

Prep:

- Fill a pan (larger than paper size) with water. 

- Put in a few drops of lemon juice/citric acid. This is optional. The citric acid will make the blues richer and darker.

- Lay out a few paper towels to dry the prints on.

After preparing the water, have the items you would like to expose on the paper. It's best to use flat items at first to get an idea of what the imagery will look like. I took the paper out and prepared everything inside in a darker part of my house. That way I wouldn't have any accidental bits of light expose it before it was ready.

I used some ferns I had in my journal from last summer's trip to Prince Edward Island. I also crumbled bits of an eggshell on top. In the kit's book they suggest using the back of the box and the clear plastic top as a platform for the paper and items as you can see. This helps to keep everything contained and easier to move around.

 

 

Once everything is in place, take it outside and let it sit in direct sunlight. Make sure you don't cast your shadow on it otherwise it will show up on the image! Let it sit for anywhere between 30 seconds to a few minutes. It may take longer if it is a cloudy day. The paper will begin to turn a very light blue or almost white when it is ready.

After a few minutes, take it back inside and take off the plastic and pressed items. Put the paper in the water. Agitate the paper a few times by rocking the pan gently. Let the paper sit for 30-60 seconds. Lay the paper on the paper towels and let it dry completely.

The citric acid in the lemon juice will make the paper a dark rich blue.

Here are some of the results.

I really enjoyed playing around with a few different designs. I'm excited to do some more especially with different objects.

What would you like to try printing??

Marsand Camera Bag // thrift store find

 

I love thrift shopping. And I really love it when there are great finds. Yesterday, my mom, sister and I went thrifting at two different Goodwill's. I found this piece at the second shop and found out it fit my camera with a 50mm lens attached.

It's a vintage camera bag from around the 70's and there are several Marsand bags being sold on Etsy. I am excited to use it since it is much smaller than my other camera bag, so I can take it on short trips and still keep it secure. I can't wait to try it out!

5 reasons to shoot film (or at least try it)

Most people nowadays see shooting film as something old or done for the nostalgia of it all, besides hybrid shooters (shoot both film + digital) for weddings and other events. Using film is becoming rare as digital becomes the obvious choice with the ease, affordability and instant viewing/editing capabilities it offers. I'm sure you've probably had some contact with film in your life since digital cameras are a relatively recent development.

Last fall I enrolled in my first film photography class in college. Prior to school, I'd taken several week-long courses where I was taught digital basics as well as photojournalism. And I have been taking pictures since I received my first camera (film) for my 12th birthday, so I felt like I had the technical settings down. But I was interested in learning film for the sake of the coolness of it (also a little wary too because of the $$) even though I didn't know then how much it would help me in my process as an artist and image-maker.

This class was strictly B&W film - Ilford HP5 and we would be taking our images from start to finish - shooting, developing and printing our work in the darkroom (or The Cave as we like to call it).

**Before I go into reasons to shoot film let me just say, I love shooting digital. I love being able to shoot with my phone. I love the instant gratification and processing on my computer. But there is something to be said for film (which is why I'm writing this post and perhaps why you're reading it). :) Also my film experience is primarily with 35mm film taking it from capturing, developing, processing and printing my images - start to finish.

Here are 5 five reasons to shoot film (or at least try it):

1 :: It was the start of photography. Digital cameras and Lightroom/Photoshop settings are based off of film and the darkroom process because of the foundation film gave photography. When I took the course in the fall, I started to understand the why of photography. I began to connect the dots between film + digital and how they relate to each other.

2 :: It gives a slower pace to the creative process. With digital, the process is relatively quick when shooting. There is the insurance of deleting, retaking, instant viewing, and a lot of storage on SD (secure digital) or CF (compact flash) cards. Shooting film forces you to contemplate, view and see what you're taking in real life before taking the picture. Often I find myself snapping away with my digital camera without thinking too much about what I'm taking. There is a lot of freedom in that but I've discovered my film work has improved my digital work simply because I am taking the time for exposure before I shoot (cuts down on the processing work later). The more you practice the faster you'll get.

3 :: It's unpredictable (to a degree). You really just don't know what you'll get. You can hope and aim for what you want, but it's always a fun surprise. Many times in the darkroom, I have been happily surprised by an outcome of my film. Think of it like Christmas morning. The anticipation, excitement and suspense... :)

4 :: It's tangible. I've discovered that I have thousands of digital images stored on my hard drive and most of them never make it to print... Sometimes they will, but often they are filed away or uploaded to Facebook. There is something about holding your images in your hands. I feel like it has connected me to my work more being able to hold it, flip photo by photo or spread them all out on the ground - arranging and rearranging. Especially if you have access to a darkroom, there's just something awesome about taking your work from shooting, to developing, to print. Even getting your photos developed at Walmart and having to wait a week or two before getting them back helps you to relive and enjoy the memories.

5 :: It's fun! Dig out your parents 35mm from your attic, grab a roll from the store and start experimenting. Happy shooting!

Here are a couple links I found helpful when I was starting out...a little helpful video, the basics of film photography and film exposure.

If you have any questions about film in general or cameras or other photo stuff, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer!

2014 {according to my phone photos}

Getting on Facebook this morning, I read the words new year or 2014 in pretty much every post (as to be expected since it's NYE...). It's that time again. The time to reflect, ponder and hope. Having different seasons can often refresh us. It is a time to look forward to the new and unstained. This time motivates me to evaluate where I'm going in my life and create goals to challenge myself.

As I reflected on this past year, I realized that: I finished my first year of college. I purchased my first full-frame camera. I changed my major to visual art. I traveled to Prince Edward Island (which I've been wanting to do for a long time). Even though these are just some small glimpses into things I've done, I realized it's been a full year.

Here are a bunch of photos from my year. I loved looking back to see everything that's happened!

I brought in the new year - 2014 - with friends in Chicago - my first time visiting the city. We walked down to the crowded and freezing Navy Pier to watch the fireworks. 

On the same trip, I also went sledding in Wisconsin. 

In the spring semester, I took printmaking which I loved even though I had no idea what was involved when I signed up. It also helped me confirm my desire to be an art major.

A typical evening in my dorm with my Irish roomie.

Snow decided to visit my campus which was rare and so obviously school was cancelled. 

Spring bike rides around the pond on campus.

 

I spent a lot of time in coffee shops "studying" with friends. :)

The four of us spent a Saturday afternoon on horse back at Elise's home. 

For spring break, me and my friends took a trip out to Charleston for some time on the chilly beach.

I officially entered the ENO club.

 
Me and my roommate at spring formal.

The LADS were -almost- soccer champions! Hopefully we'll get that title in 2015. That wrapped up the spring semester at school.

Some scenes from being home for the summer.

I rode the Megabus up to my cousin's to get ready for her wedding!

 

My cousin married in May!

My brother and I decided to take a little vacation from our jobs and headed to Savannah for the weekend. We camped at Anastasia State Park.

July was the best because I was able to go up to New York and then to Canada and I got to celebrate my birthday.

At New River Beach in Canada - it was beautiful!

Me at the Green Gables house.

Wildflowers.

 

Back at home, back to work...

I moved into my first apartment off campus. I love it there. 

I especially love being able to cook for myself. Definitely beats caf meals.

No fall would be complete without a trip to the state fair... I ended up going three times.  0.0

And it wouldn't be complete without a night of camping with friends celebrating a birthday. It was a frozen night since most of us didn't have warm sleeping bags, but we survived and we've got some good memories.

Most of November I spent working in my studio for practicum. Practicum is when studio classes end and that time is devoted to finding the work in art that the artist wants to do. I experimented with watercolors and did a lot of drawing. My piece was based off the dry curled leaves - like the ones in the above photo.

Thanksgiving I flew to St. Augustine to spend some time with my family.

Camper life in the morning.

 
The plane ride home was beautiful and dreamy. I love those puffy clouds. It seemed like another world up there, floating along so smoothly.

My little studio space after the open studio show.

Before heading home for the rest of Christmas break, I spent some time with one of my college friends. We were in a different coffee shop every day reading or sketching. Christmas break is nice!

My family has started a white elephant gift party every year with two other families that we've known for a long time. Every year there are some interesting gifts.

This year we didn't get the tree up until the day before Christmas eve. 

The day before New Years Eve we went up to the botanical gardens. Even in winter there are still beautiful plants growing. These flowers seemed like clay to me.

I'm excited for a new and fresh year to explore, dream and succeed in.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve celebrating with friends and family. Here's to the New Year!